Steam-engine



(No Model J. F. BERMI'NGHAM.

STEAM ENGINE.

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MW I N UNITED STATES PATE T OE IcE.

JOHN F. BERMINGHAM, OF MAROELINE, MISSOURI.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,478, dated March 9, 1897.

Application filed May 25, 1896. Serial No. 592,979. (No model.)

This invention relates to the transmission of power from the steam-cylinder of an engine to the working parts; and it consists, primarily, in mounting a sprocket-wheel upon the shaft carrying the eccentrics of the link-motion and driven by the connecting-rod and connecting said sprocket-wheel by a sprocketchain with a sprocket-wheel upon the working shaft; in mounting upon a locomotiveframe adjacent to the steam-cylinder a shaft carrying the eccentrics of the link-motion, coupling said shaft by a connecting-rod with the cross-head of the piston-rod, and coupling sprocket-wheels at each end of said shaft with sprocket-wheels upon the axle of the trailing drivers of the locomotive by a sprocket-chain; in locating between the locomotive-drivers and the steam cylinder an elevated shaft about in line with the piston-rod and carrying the eccentrics of the link-motion,coupling said shaft by a connecting-rod to the crosshead of the piston-rod, coupling sprocketwheels upon the ends of this shaft by means of a sprocket-chain with sprocket -wheels upon the projecting ends of the axle of the trailing drivers, and driving back to the leading drivers therefrom by a chain belt connecting additional sprocket-wheels on said axle with sprocket-wheels upon the project.

- ing axle ends of said leading drivers; in the or trailing drivers.

peculiar construction of sprocket wheels, sprocket-chain, and in the various other novel features hereinafter pointed out and claimed. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a locomotive as is neces sary to an understanding of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail in section on the correspondingly-numbered line in the first figure of the sprocket-wheel and the corresponding chain. A represents the body of a locomotive, B the forward or leading drivers, and C the rear E is a steam-cylinder; E, the piston; E the cross-head; E the linkmotion, and E the connecting-rod. Heretofore the connecting-rod has been coupled to a wrist-pin upon one of the drivers and motion communicated therefrom to the others by a parallel rod which was apt to break owing to the constant wrenching it received at, the extremes of upward and downward motion. The application of power had also its disadvantages, as the axles of the drivers were necessarily so much below the plane of the steamcylinder.

In my improvement I locate upon the locomotive-frame in a position sufliciently elevated to bring its axis practically on alevel wvith the steam-cylinder or about on a plane with the axis of the piston-rod atransmissionshaft G, which carries the eccentrics G of the link-motion, operating the eccentric-rods G2 G for reversing or slowing down or shutting off steam. Upon each end of this shaft outside of the locomotive-frame is fixed alarge sprocket-wheel H, to which the connecting rod on that side is coupled by a wrist-pin h, the rod on one side being just one-quarter ahead of the other in order to drive one side in advance of the other, as usual. The teeth h of these sprocket-wheels are advisably set in the center of the wheels, and over them is thrown a sprocket chain I1 each link of which is recessed or socketed, as ath to engage with the teeth as near as may be by rolling contact and prevent lost motion.

The axles of the drivers project outside of the wheels, and upon these projecting ends of the axle of the trailing drivers are secured sprocket-wheels H provided with twin teeth corresponding to those upon the eccentricshaft and driven by the chain therefrom. By the side of these sprocket-wheels on the axle of the trailer are secured other sprocketwheels K, which in this instance are made with twin teeth k, which rise parallel with each other, as shown in Fig. 2, and upon the projecting ends of the axle of the leading drivers are similar sprocket-wheels K, having like twin teeth it, over the two sprocketwheels being thrown a chain K slotted centrally, as at 70 and having recesses 70 in its flanged crown k to receive the teeth of the sprocket-wheels, one tooth on each side. As the sprocket wheels and chains will be located outside of'the plane of the drivers the running-board L will be extended sufliciently to cover and protect them. By this construction it is evident that the motion generated by the expansion of the steam in the cylinder acting Where the piston and piston-rod is communicated to the intermediate shaft in a position most favorable for effective application of power, that such shaft through its sprocket Wheels and chains drive the trailers and they drive back upon the leaders that the advantage of the leverage of the sprockets is secured in regulating the speed and in the application of power, and that the objectionable thumping due to the parallel rod and the danger owing to its liability to break are both obviated and done away with.

The combination in a locomotive, of the steam-cylinders, piston-rods and cross-heads, the connecting-rods, an elevated shaft supported upon the locomotive-frame and carry ing the eccentrics of the link-motion with which shaft said connecting-rod is coupled, sprocket-Wheels upon the ends of said shaft, sprocket-wheels upon the projecting axle of the trailing drivers, sprocket-chains connecting the two pairs of sprocketwheels, a second pair of sprocket Wheels upon said axle, sprocket-Wheels upon the projecting axle of the leading drivers, and a chain belt connectin g said sprocket-Wheels, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN F. BERMINGHAM. WVitn esses:

ROBT. L. \VHEELER, E. II. TAYLOR. 

